Manufacturing Parameters for Tactile Map Symbols

Abstract

Regarding spatial accessibility, the understanding of the environment and of the paths to be traveled by visually impaired people, tactile maps are an important tool in order to help to the prior planning of the route to be performed by its users. According to the Brazilian Regulatory Standard, NBR 9050: 2015 which deals with accessibility to buildings, furniture, spaces and urban equipment, the installation of tactile maps is a requirement to be met in public access buildings, however,  there are few guidelines regarding to its manufacture, and to the characterization of tactile reliefs. In addition to this, there are divergences on the specifications of the elements among researchers in the area. This paper contributes to social inclusion with as to the teaching of geography, cartographic language and spatial orientation, as it puts together parameters adopted nowadays in Brazil, within the scope of tactile cartography. Moreover, it brings a synthesis of the elements in use in Brazil and abroad related both to cartography and the manufacture of maps for buildings. Besides, it also develops, evaluates and validates, through testing with professional braille proofreaders, new parameters to be shared by tactile map developers. The parameters presented include symbols, letters, lines, textures and braille, characterizing them in terms of thickness, shape, surface elevation and representation patterns, resulting in a pattern of representation and manufacture of symbols for tactile maps.